He glanced at Hayes, who was watching the Basset Hound. I could feel the menace rolling off the tight end.
I shook my head, leaned in. “A Pit won’t do. They have to be Corsos.” Rubbing a hand over my beard, I pretended to think. “What if I threw in a couple tickets to the home opener for you and the missus?”
He paused a beat. “Would those be fifty-yard line, ya think?”
“I can probably arrange that.” I put on my Southern boy grin.
“I don’t know...” He brushed the back of his head.
Hayes blew out a breath. “How much for the hound?”
I sent the tight end a quick warning glance.
Jaw tightening, he ignored me.
“She’s $1600. I’d come down to $1400 for a Bulldogs player.” Randall winked.
“If I take her, and we give you the signed balls?” Hayes got a little too close for the dude’s comfort, crowding him with his size.
The manager took a step back. “A—and the tickets?”
“And the tickets,” I returned, wearing a smile that made me want to throw up my lunch. This is exactly what Lily said not to do. She was going to have our nuts for this.
After scrolling through the phone, I found the team’s PR department while Hayes whipped off cash for the dog. Two signed balls later, and a set of fifty-yard-line tickets at the will-call, and we had a name—Andrew Brower—and a phone number.
“Lily’s gonna kick our asses for that. What were you thinking, man? And what the hell are you going to do with a dog?” The squirming pup was currently licking at Hayes’s chin while we walked back to my truck.
“He wasn’t going to give it up unless we bought a dog. And I couldn’t watch this one circle that cage a minute longer, could I?” He nuzzled the puppy’s head. “No, I couldn’t, sweet pea. Not one damn minute. My sister and her boyfriend have been thinking about a dog. Now they have one.”
I shook my head.
Hayes slapped his free hand on my shoulder. “I know. I know what I just did. But, the greater good, Shaw.” He smiled. “We’ve got a lead.”
We sure as hell did.
I could only hope Lily saw the greater good, too.
I pulled into a parking space at the Unruly Dog and left Hayes in the retail shop for everyone to fawn over the baby basset. He’d called to tell his sister and luckily, she’d been ecstatic. She was going to drive down this weekend to pick the dog up.
I pecked on the office door.
“Come in,” came Lily’s voice.
She glanced up from her desk and the butterflies in my stomach stirred. Actually, it felt more like a hornet’s nest in there. As much as I wanted to tell her what we’d found, I dreaded telling her how we got it. Plus, we hadn’t really been alone since the night at the rental house. We only made polite conversation at the center or if we needed to discuss the pet shops, but we never talked about what happened in my truck. It was driving me batshit. I wanted her so bad, and I knew she wanted me, too.
“Hey, good classes today?”
Her smile gave me a twinge in my chest. “Yeah, my favorite novice level agility class is today. They’re a lot of fun.”
“I’ll have to stop and watch that one.” Gently, I closed the door behind me.
“What’s up? Did you start a new class today?”
I ran a hand over my scruff. “No, we’re finishing up Intro to Agility on Tuesday, but with camp starting, the next class will have to wait until I get back. I think we can get through all the Agility Fundamentals classes before playoffs. Which means I should be able to keep up with the Tuesday night schedule and move CC into novice before the playoffs. I might have to make up a class here or there if the team is traveling.”
Lil nodded. Put down the folder she was holding. “Rob said CC is doing well. That her confidence is really coming along, and the class is too slow paced for her. You know you can take private lessons to speed up her training. Plus, it would probably fit your schedule better.”
It took sheer force of will not to roll into the flirty banter and suggestive grin that came so easily around Lily, but she was the one who pumped the brakes. I respected that, even if it was based on her misconceptions. She obviously wasn’t comfortable with trusting me.
It didn’t mean I didn’t want her anyway.
We’d been doing a decent job not breaking the unspoken rule, but it took constant vigilance for me to pretend there was nothing between us.
I missed her. Her friendship, her sense of humor. Her lips. I blew out a heavy breath, trying to get a grip. This was what she wanted. For us to keep our distance. Wasn’t it?
She leaned her ass against the lip of the desk. “What’s up? Hey, did you find someone to watch CC for camp? I can keep her if you need me to.”
I thought about it. Lily was the perfect option. “I’d owe you one. I really don’t want to board her yet. My sister took one look at the slobber on my walls and started making excuses. I even thought about asking my neighbors—they’d do it—but she’d have someone to play with at your house.”
“Sure, it’s no problem. Her and Mack will have a blast. I’ll be able to keep up her training, too. Was that what you needed?”
I need you. “No, Hayes and I caught a break today.”
“No!” Mouth dropping open, she jumped up and swatted my chest. “Why didn’t you lead with that! Tell me.”
I couldn’t help grinning at her enthusiasm. “The pet shop over by the mall had a lot of bullies for sale. The owner wasn’t there, and the manager was a fan. It took a couple of signed balls and game tickets, but we got a name and phone number.”
“Ohmygod, Brody!” Jumping up, she did a little booty shimmy that I wished I’d been behind her to see. “This is fantastic. I am so stoked! Finally, a break.” Swinging her arms around my neck, she squeezed as she bounced on her toes. “You’re amazing, Brody Shaw. Thank you.”
Fuck. She was rubbing her body against me. A desperate groan slipped from my throat, and she realized what she was doing, because she stopped with the bouncing, but she didn’t let go of me. Instead, she turned her face into my chest.
Pressing my palms to her back, I didn’t let go either. The last thing I ever wanted to do was let her go.
“Brody...” Her voice was strained, her cheeks flushed. A question hung on the warm breath between us. It would have been so easy to close that distance and sink into her kiss. I could feel her heart racing against my sternum. The almost imperceptible tilt of her head as her eyes questioned.